or public inquiry into the death of a Prince Albert man after police use of force began Monday.
Boden Umpherville, 40, was pulled from a vehicle as officers used tasers, batons and pepper spray after a traffic stop escalated near the 1200 block of 13th Street West on April 1, 2023.
The police stopped the vehicle after it was reported stolen. While investigating, police said they discovered warrants for the arrest of Umpherville, who was a passenger in the vehicle, on drug and parole violation charges.
After the incident, Umpherville was taken to hospital, but after several weeks on life support, he succumbed to his injuries.
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Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) investigator Kevin Montgomery was the first to take the stand at the inquest at Prince Albert Court of King’s Bench.
Montgomery described the scene as “complete chaos” with every officer on duty responding after an officer pulled an emergency button alarm after an attempt to remove Umpherville from the vehicle.
Montgomery added, “the amount of force reflected the amount of attempts to escape.”
While the SIRT investigation initially found no criminal wrongdoing by police, Prince Albert Police Service Deputy Chief Farica Prince says the police force is ready to implement the recommendations.
“Boden’s death has affected all parts of our community, including our organization. It’s been a difficult process, even getting us here today at the start of this investigation,” Prince said.
“We’re always open to exploring how policing as a profession can do better in terms of practices or policies. And if we’re able to identify some ways we can do that this week, then we’re open to that.”
The investigation is scheduled to continue throughout the week, with a forensic pathologist and police officers expected to remain at the scene afterward.
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